From left, Bonnie, Freddy Fazbear and Chica in “Five Nights at Freddy’s.” Credit: (Patti Perret/Universal Pictures/TNS)
If you had told anyone back in 2014 that the simplistic computer horror game “Five Nights at Freddy’s” would eventually become a feature film, people might have looked at you like you were going crazy.
A decade later, with the support of a massive cult fanbase, the arrival of the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” movie feels equal parts inevitable and absurd.
In the Five Nights at Freddy’s game, players take on the role of a nighttime security guard watching over an abandoned Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria, a Chuck-E-Cheese-esque children’s restaurant and play center equipped with giant anthropomorphic animal animatronics.
Possessed by the ghosts of children killed by Freddy’s original owner, these robots are subsequently intent on murderous revenge. The film follows a similar plotline.
Josh Hutcherson — best known for his portrayal of Peeta Mellark in “The Hunger Games” — is hungry for low-quality pizza and arcade games in the role of Mike Schmidt, a down-on-his-luck older brother attempting to keep custody of his kid sister Abby (Piper Rubio) by proving he can keep a steady income, all while suffering from a sleeping disorder.
When Schmidt starts working the night shift at the abandoned pizzeria, the line between his recurrent dreams and nightmarish reality becomes increasingly blurred.
While it seems ironic to advise readers to disregard a critic’s opinion, it’s good advice in the case of movies that are clearly targeted at a niche audience.
“Five Nights at Freddy’s” is rated a measly 29% on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of publication, but that score won’t be representative of the enjoyment value it holds for the audience it’s truly catering to.
The franchise boasts possibly the most frenzied, borderline deranged fanbase for a video game in the world. It’s not uncommon to find hours upon hours of lore videos on YouTube or extensive fan theories on the wider web.
And for that die-hard following, “Five Nights at Freddy’s” surely hits the spot, ripe with the appropriate dose of fan service from writers who understand the source material’s subcultural importance.
Besides that, “Five Nights at Freddy’s” has to be given its due respect for how shockingly appealing the movie looks.
The Jim Henson group, perhaps the only real-life company masterful enough to rival the expertise of the animatronics’ fictional creator, was enlisted to help create the film’s animatronics. Practical effects are bathed in gorgeous neon lights from the pizzeria’s nostalgia-inducing set, providing just enough exposure for the horrors that unfold on screen.
While the movie sometimes struggles with cutting away from the action and interrupting glorious suspense, director Emma Tammi weaves just enough tension with some classic horror tropes to keep the audience on the edge of their seats the whole time, cinematically mimicking how it felt to play the game during childhood.
“Five Nights at Freddy’s” might not be for everyone, and that’s fine. But for the people who made the franchise what it is today, it does an admirable job of returning the love and support it has been given over the years. “Five Nights at Freddy’s” is certainly worth at least one night of your time.
Rating: 4/5
This review was updated Oct. 31 at 8:57 a.m. to rectify a character’s name.
